Incident at Proclamation Court home remains shrouded in mystery

By Mark HaywardNew Hampshire Union Leader

BEDFORD - A local anesthesiologist and his wife were assaulted inside their Bedford home on Saturday, Nov. 24. Although initial indications were that Eduardo Quesada and his wife, Sonia Quesada, were injured during a burglary, police said they are not ruling out other explanations for the assault.

The two remained under medical treatment as of Nov. 28, Eduardo with serious head injuries, inflicted at their home at 7 Proclamation Court, Police Chief John Bryfonski said Monday, Nov. 26.

Hillborough County Attorney Dennis Hogan said he did not know the nature of Sonia's injuries. A 2-year-old child at the home was unharmed.

A year ago, police made an arrest on an assault charge at the Quesada home after responding to a domestic-related complaint, police have acknowledged. Bryfonski confirmed that an arrest was made at the address in November 2011 following a call for a domestic disturbance.

The charge was eventually dropped and the case annulled, which wiped any record of it from public files.

A subsequent Right-to-Know request submitted to Bedford police for records of that arrest and accompanying reports turned up nothing.

The FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration has joined the investigation into the assaults. The two agencies provide resources that can be helpful in the investigation, said Hogan, whose prosecutors are involved in the case.

'It's not unusual,' Hogan said about the FBI. 'In fact, I can think of a lot of different cases where the FBI is there as a resource, and that's certainly the case here.'

Police detectives should soon have the opportunity to interview Sonia Quesada.

Hogan said authorities have an incomplete description of a person who was in the house and assaulted the two. He hopes that Sonia Quesada will help investigators develop a more detailed description.

'The description they have can certainly be improved,' Hogan said.

Elliot Hospital acknowledged that the Quesadas are patients at the hospital, receiving treatment, but not describe their condition.

Bedford police have said they have not ruled out other explanations for the assaults.

Meanwhile, Jane Young, Associate Attorney General, Chief - Criminal Bureau, visited Bedford police Tuesday, Nov. 27. Young and Lt. James Geraghty, commander of the Major Crimes Unit, left the Bedford Police Department about 11 a.m. Young referred questions about the case to Hogan.

'Because this is New Hampshire,' Young said when asked why she was in Bedford. The New Hampshire Attorney General's Office, which investigates homicides in New Hampshire, often makes appearances when police investigate life-threatening assault cases. However, state prosecutors don't take over an investigation unless the victim dies.

Police continued Tuesday, Nov. 27, to keep a presence at the Proclamation Court home. A Bedford police SUV was parked outside the driveway, and the State Police crime-scene van was backed up close to the garage.

Bryfonski was a DEA agent for years before joining the Bedford force as chief last year.

'They have things within their agency that may be useful in the investigation,' said Hogan, who would not elaborate further.

Quesada is an anesthesiologist at Amoskeag Anesthesiology, a Manchester-based pratice located on Elliot Way in Manchester.

'We are all very concerned for Dr. Quesada's health and well-being and hope that he makes a full recovery from his injuries. Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family,' Elliot Hospital said in a release issued earlier this week. The release said Quesada has worked closely with Elliot staff since 2000.

Bryfonski characterized the investigation as a 'full-court press' and said Bedford detectives, New Hampshire State Police and the Hillsborough County Sheriff Department are involved.

He said police have a person of interest in the case, but no one has been identified.

'If I had a name, I would give you a name,' he said.

'There is nothing that we have that would suggest any of our residents in Bedford are any less safe than they usually are,' Bryfonski said.

He said, however, that residents should always be mindful of their surroundings and circumstances and contact police if they see anything suspicious.

Built in 2007, the Quesada house has been listed for sale for $1.4 million and is under contract, according to its listing website with the Bean Group.

The site shows an elaborate house with timber-framed walls and cathedral ceilings, a wine cellar, flagstone fireplaces in a den and living room, a master bedroom with a third fireplace and south-facing view. The listing also said the house has a security system.

The crime scene van of the state police Major Crime Unit was parked in Quesada's driveway on Monday, Nov. 26. Police came in and out of the house wearing protective boot coverings. Others wore full body suits.

'We want to bring all forces to bear on cases that are appropriate to do so,' Bryfonski said.

The young child who was in the house at the time of the assault has been turned over to a family member, he said.

Several neighbors told the New Hampshire Union Leader they heard nothing suspicious that night.

With leaves off the trees, the rear of the Quesada house is visible from Spring Hill Road.

Tom Tamulevich, who lives on Spring Hill Road, said police took impressions of a tire track from the shoulder of the road, which is a short 250 feet to the Quesada house.

Tamulevich said he let his Jack Russell terrier outside about 10 p.m. on Saturday - the time of the call to the Quesada house. When something is amiss, the dog barks, but it did nothing Saturday night, he said.

He brushed off any fears of home invaders in Bedford, in part because most people in the neighborhood have alarm and security systems.